Oven-Roasted Salmon Salad with Honey Dijon Vinaigrette

I made this salad a few months ago when my friend Jamie came over for lunch and I have been meaning to share the recipe for several weeks. My father travels to Alaska about once every two months to help provide orthodontic services at a local clinic. One of the clinic coordinators is a big time fisherman and he invited my dad, who is also a seasoned fisherman, along on an excursion. This resulted in a large haul of King and Coho salmon being shipped back to our midwestern homestead and we have been reaping the benefits ever since.

This salad is highly adaptable. On the particular day I made it, I was in the mood to dress it with pumpkin seeds, goat cheese, fresh strawberries, and roasted pecans; but I would recommend jazzing it up with whatever is in season. We still have a surplus of salmon in our freezer right now (and we enjoyed another great salmon recipe over the weekend), so there is some more salmon coming your way!

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday weekend.

Happy Monday!

Smith sure loves our buddy, Jamie.

Honey Dijon Vinaigrette

Ingredients

1 clove garlic, peeled & minced

2/3 cup olive oil

1 tablespoons dijon mustard

2 tablespoons honey

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

Mix or shake all ingredients together until well-blended.

Oven-Roasted Salmon

Ingredients

1 to 3 pounds skin-on salmon fillets (8 ounces per person)

Olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a roasting pan or baking sheet with foil.

Pat the salmon dry with a paper towel. Transfer to the foil-lined baking sheet. Rub the top of the salmon with oil so that it’s lightly coated. Sprinkle each fillet generously with salt and pepper.

Place the salmon in the oven and roast for 4-6 minutes per half inch thickness of fillet. The salmon will easily flake with a fork when finished (the USDA recommends a minimum internal temperature of 145°F at the thickest part of the fillet).

Remove from oven and place over bed of greens. Garnish the salad with dried cherries, fresh strawberries, goat cheese and pumpkin seeds. Drizzle with honey dijon vinaigrette and serve immediately.